Quiet Places

I have a love of quiet places.  The solitude and stillness is refreshing from the constant noise of our world.  In my lifetime the world has become much more contaminated with noise.  It surrounds us and it is barely escapable anymore.  Quiet places give us time to reflect and think.  Noise can be used as a form of diversion keeping us insulated from things we would rather not deal with.  It is common today to be at restaurant surrounded by loud music while trying to converse and enjoy a meal.  I notice the young people have adapted to this environment and shout above the noise as they eat.  I feel saddened that their world is one of constant noise and the distraction it can cause, denying us enjoyment of the quiet beauty in nature.

Old School House

Last week I was in the state of Washington making some new images and came across this old school house.  It was located in the central part of the state that is mostly rural farm land with only a few small towns in the area.  I always enjoy traveling the back roads and exploring new locations.  I was fortunate to see the broken top of the bell tower from the road I was traveling on.  I immediately turned around and found a dirt road to take me to there.  This particular day had on and off rain showers providing a dramatic sky.  When I am out on these photography trips I have many days where the subject may be great but the lighting is wrong.  This day provided the opportunity to combine a good subject with a wonderful stormy sky. 

The test of time

We recently made a camping trip to the states of Washington and Oregon.  The scenery is spectacular in this region of the country.  We were able to travel to the coast and the inland area of each state.  Along the ocean I am always captivated with the sea stacks that line the coast.  These rocks exist in an environment where they are constantly being battered by the elements of wind and water.  They weather the storms and stand the test of time.  We as humans also struggle in our environments, battling the elements that beat upon our soul and spirit.  There are times in life where we are faced with tremendous challenges that need to be overcome so we to can stand the test of time. 

Wooden Ship

This old abandoned wooden fishing boat in Iceland still commands a powerful presence, even though it has been dragged up on the shore and left to rot.  I spotted this old boat from the top of a lighthouse I was in, and I immediately started in that direction.  The boat is very colorful with several layers of old paint peeling away.  I made my first print in color because of the beauty it showed of the boat and it's multi faded colors.  The black and white conversion gives a stern and powerful look to the boat. It is hard to determine the size of the boat while viewing the photograph, but the ladder on the left side gives some perspective to just how big this boat really is.  As I stood if front of this boat I could feel the power it once had pounding through the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean.  

Iceland

I just returned from a two week trip to Iceland.  It is a fascinating country with a constantly changing climate.  Most of the days were rainy with a strong wind making photography difficult.  This image was made at 10:30 in the evening on a cool and wet day.   The summer days in Iceland have constant daylight, so photography is possible at anytime.  I found it kind of strange being out with my camera at these hours.  This small waterfalls was a short hike through some farm land on a muddy trail.  I was amazed when I saw the blue color of the water that flows from the glaicer nearby. Althought this would make a great black and white image, I felt that I needed to show the surreal color that exist at this location.  I photographed around many waterfalls while there but this one was unique and special.  Iceland was a wonderful place to explore despite the inclimate weather I had to deal with.

In search of the simple

Often times we overlook the simple while focusing on the complex.  In landscape photography the challenge is finding the point of interest in the overall scene.  The above image was made in a wonderful rocky landscape of Joshua Tree N.P.  The ground is covered with all sorts of rock formations, giving plenty of opportunities to photograph.  I made this image while hiking a narrow trail through some boulders and nearly missed the abstract pattern within the rocks.  The small ribbon of quartz rock that runs down across the rock layers gives a mysterious abstract quality to the image.  Although I was surrounded by a magical landscape I kept readjusting my eye not to miss the small and simple details that existed within a bigger and more complex scene.

Working with a GoPro camera

I recently purchase a GoPro camera to photograph some of the wildlife I see when out photographing in my kayak.  Last week I went to a small river near where I live to see how the camera would work underwater.  I was hoping to see some fish and maybe an alligator swimming under my boat.  I was surprised on seeing several manatees in the river and and was happy to make a few short videos of these gentle giants.  This little camera has given the ablity to interact with nature and view to these wonderful creatures in their environment in a new way.